BBQ Bangers & Mash With Caramelised Onion Gravy
Classic bangers & mash but we’re BBQing the sausages for extra flavour. Served with a next level caramelised onion gravy!
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You can’t beat a classic bangers & mash, especially when it’s served with caramelised onion gravy!
For our take on this dish, we’re cooking our sausages on a barbecue then serving them with the creamiest mashed potatoes (that’s flavoured with plenty of garlic and fresh herbs!) & a punchy, homemade caramelised onion & red wine gravy.
Sausage, mash & gravy is one of those dishes that only has a few components, so it’s important that we get them right. In the post below, we’ll be breaking down each of the 3 components of this dish & there’s some handy tips & tricks included as well, which will take your bbq bangers & mash to another level!
There’s an ever growing collection of barbecue recipes on the blog! To name a few, there’s pulled pork, lamb shawarma & smoked pork belly. If there’s a recipe you’d like to see, drop us a comment at the bottom of this page! Or for more dinner inspiration, take a look at our collection of main course recipes!
What You’ll Need
- Sausages – You can use pretty much whatever type of sausage you like for bangers & mash. I used some apple & hot honey sausages from sosij! If your sausages are large, 1 per portion works well. If they’re smaller, 2-3 is good.
- Potatoes – Floury varieties of potatoes work best for mash. I like Maris Pipers!
- Cream, Milk & Butter – For our mashed potato, we’re using double cream, whole milk & butter. You’ll also need some rosemary, thyme & garlic to infuse the cream.
- Onions – I like to use red onions for my gravy but white onions will work as well.
- Red Wine – Don’t worry about using an overly expensive red wine for your gravy! To make the gravy without wine, use extra beef stock.
- Beef Stock – For your gravy, you can use either homemade beef stock or a stock cube dissolved in boiling water.
Cooking Sausages On A Barbecue (BBQ Bangers)
Cooking sausages low & slow on a barbecue is a great way to give them even more flavour. It’s also the secret to cooking sausages that are perfectly cooked. No split or chewy casings here!
When you’re cooking sausages on a barbecue, it’s key to maintain a nice gentle heat. Cook them at too high a heat & you’re sausage skins will split & the meat inside is likely to overcook and possibly separate the meat & fat. Not ideal!
A note on barbecues: You’ll need to use a barbecue that you can cook indirectly on. This is where the meat isn’t cooked directly over the charcoal. I used a Weber smokey mountain but a kettle grill, offset smoker or Kamado style bbq will work as well.
How To Cook Sausages On A Barbecue
- Light your smoker (with a good quality lumpwood charcoal), set it up for indirect cooking then preheat to 93°c/200°f.
- Place your sausages on your barbecue then cook until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 75°c/167°f. This will take around an hour. You’ll need a digital food probe to do this!
- Once cooked, let the sausages rest for 5 minutes then serve.
The Creamiest Mashed Potatoes!
When I say that these are the creamiest mashed potatoes, I really mean it! The secret here is to roast the potatoes in the skin, instead of boiling them. Once cooked, we’re going to be mashing the spuds with a potato ricer then mixing in plenty of cream (infused with garlic & herbs!), butter, salt & pepper.
Mashed Potatoes – Step By Step
- Give your potatoes a wash then place them onto a baking tray.
- Bake the potatoes at 200°c/390°f until they are cooked through. This will take roughly 40 minutes – 1 hour. Once cooked, let the potatoes cool for 15 minutes or until they’re cool enough to handle.
- Whilst your potatoes are cooling, warm cream, milk, garlic, rosemary & thyme in a pan, over a gentle heat. This infuses the cream nicely!
- Next, cut each potato in half, scoop out the flesh then mash into a large saucepan using a potato ricer.
- Pass the infused cream into the mash, through a sieve then add in butter.
- Set the pan of mash over a low heat then whisk/stir by hand to combine.
- Season the mash with salt & pepper, warm through for a minute or two then serve.
Caramelised Onion Gravy
A really good caramelised onion gravy isn’t too tricky to make but it’s key to take your time when making it, especially when caramelising the onions. Your gravy can also be made a couple days in advance then reheated when you need it…
How To Make Caramelised Onion Gravy
- Cook thinly sliced red onions over a low heat, until soft & caramelised. This will take at least 15 minutes!
- Add in a small amount of sugar & balsamic vinegar then cook until sticky.
- Stir in fresh thyme & red wine then bring to the boil. Reduce to glaze the onions.
- Pour in beef stock then bring to the boil.
- In a bowl, mix equal quantities of cornflour & cold water then stir into the gravy.
- Cook the gravy for another 2-3 minutes until thick then stir in butter & Worcestershire sauce.
- Season the gravy with salt & pepper then serve!
BBQ Bangers & Mash Tips & Tricks
- Use good quality sausages! This makes all the difference when making bangers & mash.
- Use a floury variety of potatoes to give your mash the best texture.
- Make your mash with cream & butter for the creamiest texture & flavour.
- Infuse the cream (for the mash) with plenty of garlic & fresh herbs.
- Cook your sausages over a good quality charcoal, at a low temperature, to avoid splitting the casings.
- Cook the onions (for the gravy) low & slow, to caramelise them properly. This is key to making the best onion gravy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Use your favourite sausages when making bangers & mash! I used some apple & hot honey sausages from sosij which weighed around 125 grams each (I served 1 per portion). If you’re using smaller sausages, they’ll cook a bit quicker & you might want to serve an extra sausage (or two!) per portion.
Floury varieties of potatoes work best for mash. I like Maris Pipers but King Edwards & Russets will also work well.
As we’re smoking our sausages at quite a low temperature, they’ll take around an hour to cook. Cooking at a low temperature is key to avoiding split & chewy sausage skins.
Any charcoal bbq will work when smoking sausages, as long as you can cook indirectly on it! I use a kettle barbecue but an offset smoker, drum bbq or ceramic kamado style grill will work as well.
A good quality lumpwood charcoal is best for cooking sausages on a bbq (and almost anything else!). We’re treating charcoal as an ingredient so it’s best to use one that will impart a sweet, mild smokey flavour. Oak, ash, cherry & apple charcoal all work great!
Absolutely! I’d recommend cooking your sausages at 160°c/320°f. Keep in mind that the sausages will take less time to cook in an oven than in a bbq.
Cooking Sausage, Mash & Gravy On An Aga
With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas. Here’s how to cook this recipe in an Aga…
Cook the potatoes in the roasting oven, on the bottom set of runners. Use the simmering plate to caramelise the onions then move over to the boiling plate when you add the wine & stock. If you’re cooking your sausage in an Aga, cook them in the baking oven on the bottom set of runners.
Equipment Used
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More Dinner Recipes To Try!
- BBQ Lamb Kofta Meatballs
- Rice Krispie Fried Chicken Tenders With Hot Honey
- Beef Wellington
- Smoked Pulled Lamb Shawarma
- Nduja Stuffed Porchetta
- Toad In The Hole With Caramelised Onion Gravy
- Twice Baked Rarebit Potatoes
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BBQ Bangers & Mash With Caramelised Onion Gravy
Equipment
- BBQ/Smoker (See Notes)
- Lumpwood Charcoal
- Digital Food Probe
- Potato Ricer
- Baking Tray
- Saucepans
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 4 Large Sausages (See Notes)
Mashed Potato
- 1½ kg Floury Potatoes (See Notes)
- 300 g Double Cream
- 200 g Whole Milk
- 5 Garlic Cloves (Crushed Or Roughly Chopped)
- 10 Sprigs Rosemary
- 10 Sprigs Thyme
- 75 g Unsalted Butter
Caramelised Onion Gravy
- 2 Red Onions
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 tsp Caster Sugar
- 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tsp Finely Chopped Thyme Leaves
- 200 ml Red Wine
- 500 ml Beef Stock
- 1 tbsp Cornflour
- 30 g Unsalted Butter
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
- Light your smoker/barbecue & leave to preheat to 93°c/200°f. Make sure that your barbecue is set up for indirect cooking.At the same time, preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (390°f/350°f).
- Next, place the potatoes onto a baking tray then cook in the preheated oven until they are cooked through. This will take around 40 minutes – 1 hour. Poke a knife into a potato to check whether it is cooked.
- Whilst your potatoes are cooking, place the sausages on your barbecue & cook indirectly until their internal temperature reaches 75°c/167°f. This will take around an hour. Once cooked, let the sausages rest for 5 minutes before serving.Let your potatoes cook for 30 minutes or so before putting your sausages on the bbq. This way, your mash & sausages will be ready at the same time. You'll need a food probe to check the internal temperature of the sausages.
Caramelised Onion Gravy
- Peel the onions, thinly slice them then place into a large saucepan with the vegetable oil & a good pinch of sea salt.
- Set the pan over a low heat then cook the onions until they are soft & caramelised, stirring regularly. This will take around 15 minutes.
- Add in the balsamic vinegar & the caster sugar then cook for another 3-4 minutes. At this point the onions should be a deep golden brown.
- Next, stir in the chopped thyme then increase the heat to high. Pour in the red wine, bring to the boil then reduce until sticky. This will take 3-4 minutes.
- Add the beef stock to the onions then bring back to the boil. In the meantime, add the cornflour into a small bowl then stir in a tbsp of cold water.
- Stir the cornflour into the gravy, cook out for a minute or two until thick then stir in the butter & Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt & pepper to taste then set aside until needed.
Mashed Potato
- Once your potatoes are cooked, let them cool for 15 minutes before cutting open. In the meantime, place the cream, milk, garlic & herbs into a saucepan. Season well with salt & pepper then warm over a low heat, to infuse & get steaming hot.
- Next, cut each potato in half, scoop out the flesh then mash into a large saucepan using a potato ricer.
- Pass the warm cream into the potatoes through a sieve then add in the butter. Set the pan over a low heat then give the mash a quick whisk (by hand!) to combine.Don't over whisk the mash as this can turn it gluey! Alternatively you can use a spatula to stir the potato & cream together.
- Give the mash a taste to check the seasoning then add in more salt & pepper as needed. Let the mash warm through on the stove for a minute or two before serving.If your sausage aren't quite ready, set your mash one side then warm through when needed.
To Serve
- If necessary, warm your mash & gravy through on the stove.
- To serve, spoon a generous amount of mash onto 4 plates, add a sausage next to the mash then top with plenty of gravy.
